Once Upon a Montana Christmas

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

L ily had been crying most of the night. Eva had felt the ridges on the child’s gums just that morning and the poor thing was teething. She was at a loss over what to do to ease the baby’s pain.

Rocking Lily back and forth, she tried to sing a soothing lullaby, but was too tired to put any coherent words together—not that it would have mattered to Lily. Standing up, she paced the length of the room. The rug was soft beneath her weary feet.

Outside, the gentle breeze that had been blowing through the valley during the day had now increased to a gale, disturbing the tree outside her window. The sound of scratching branches against the house only added to her anxiety. It reminded her of the terrible storm on the night her father had passed away. She and her little brother had not been allowed entrance as her stepmother kept vigil by his bedside. As always, her brother had wanted nothing to do with her, finding comfort instead with his nanny. Eva had been left alone, waiting for her only parent to die.

Her limbs threatened to give way as those memories surfaced. Stamping them down for another time, she focused all her attention on Lily. Her little angel needed her, and she’d discovered it was nice to be needed when you loved.

Hunt laid awake for a couple of hours, wondering when Lily might stop crying. Not that the sound bothered him, it was more that he didn’t like to hear her in pain. He remembered his mother’s distress and sleepless nights whenever one of her children was ill. Eva must be beside herself with worry.

As another scream echoed through the house, he rubbed his temples with his hands, whipped the blanket off in one swoop, and pulled on his clothes. He was going to put an end to this once and for all.

He walked across the hall and tapped on the door. He doubted that Eva could hear his knock above Lily’s cries. He eased the door open and peered inside. A blast of warm air met his face. Standing near the fire, rocking the baby back and forth, was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

Eva was in her nightgown and robe. Her long blonde hair cascaded down to her waist. She was holding Lily against her chest and humming a melody, rubbing her cheek against the baby’s head.

He cleared his throat and tapped on the door again to get her attention. Trying not to startle Eva, he said, “May I help?”

When she turned to face him, he could see the dark circles under her eyes. Her shoulders slumped as if she was too tired for proper posture.

He did not wait for her to answer, but walked in and reached for Lily. Eva hesitated. He took the baby out of her arms. “Rest. I’ll tend to Lily.”

“But what if?—”

“She will be fine.” Hunt gave Eva what he hoped was a reassuring smile and then took the whimpering baby and left the room. He made his way downstairs and went to his father’s rocking chair. Nero woke up, let out a loud moan as he stretched, then rose, circled twice, and curled up next to his leg.

The sound of the wind rustling through the branches was a soothing balm that carried his worries off to some distant place. In his younger years, while away at school, it was the rustling that had comforted him, brought him home in his mind. During the darkest years of his life, his troubled marriage, and the death of his mother, it was the sound of the wind and the promise of something better on the horizon that had got him through those difficult times.

Lily had finally settled down, although she was not yet asleep. In the faint glow of light emanating from the fireplace, he studied her features. She was so much like CeCe, with her large green eyes and sweet dimples. When Lily smiled, those dimples lit up the room. He missed his sister, and now it was too late. He would not make the same mistake twice.

Hunt held his little niece close to his heart and rocked her back and forth as she finally drifted off to sleep. He might have failed CeCe, but he would not fail Lily. Somehow, he would make up for his past wrongdoings.

* * *

Eva woke up in a panic. Where is Lily? Who is taking care of her? The spot beside her on the bed was empty, the cradle was empty, and there was no sign of her. Her mind was muddled, and her body still ached from getting only a couple of hours of sleep.

Then she remembered. Hunt had taken Lily, and that had been hours ago. No man would want to deal with a fussy baby for that long. The thought brought more panic.

She tended to her toilette with haste, put on the suede skirt and white blouse that Aunt Carol had bought for her, and went in search of her tiny companion. The sun had already made its presence known on the horizon. Lily would want her breakfast soon.

After tapping on Hunt’s bedroom door and finding the room vacant, she tiptoed down the stairs, unsure what she might discover. She heard him talking in a soft voice to Lily.

“Your mama was the best little sister. Full of mischief, but that’s what made life with her fun. She could outride most of the young bucks on the ranch, and even moved a herd of cattle with your grandpa and me. You look just like her, you know.”

A mixture of sorrow and happiness swept through Eva. She was glad that Hunt was accepting Lily as his kin, but her chest ached and her stomach churned, knowing that her time here would soon be at an end. Lily would be with her family, and she would be alone in the world once again.

* * *

This day has proved to be long, indeed, Eva thought, as she fed Lily her supper. Because of the little sleep she’d had the previous night, every chore, every movement, had become a struggle. Thank goodness for Hunt. Otherwise, she would have put her head on the dining table and gone straight to sleep with no care for propriety.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not get the image of Hunt holding Lily against his chest out of her mind. His sweet words and gentleness with Lily had tugged at her heart. Despite her previous reservations, he would make a good father, the kind of father she’d only dreamed about. That dream, which would never come true for her, weighed heavy in her heart.

Sniffling back the tears, she finished feeding Lily, trying not to think of what would never be.

“Would you mind asking Hunt if he would bring in some more wood, dearie? I’ll finish feeding the baby,” Aunt Carol said as she entered the dining room.

Aunt Carol was smitten with her great-niece and looked for any opportunity to tend to her. “Not at all,” Eva said as she handed Lily’s spoon over to the other woman.

“I believe he is in the stables,” Aunt Carol said over her shoulder as Eva walked out of the room.

She pulled her jacket off the hook by the kitchen door. With each passing day, the weather was getting colder. Soon travel would be difficult, especially for someone short on funds. When she thought about leaving, she realized how much this place had come to mean to her. She shook off that thought. Now was not the time to indulge in something that would never become reality.

The sun hung low on the horizon. She loved this time of day, when the land was aglow in soft shades of orange and yellow. The sky was deepening to a dark blue, and soon, millions of stars would twinkle across it in joy.

She walked to the stables and peered inside. The scent of hay and horses infiltrated her senses. The faint glow of a lantern could be seen at the far end. She walked down the center aisle toward the light and sound of straw shuffling. When she came upon the last stall, the sight that met her eyes took her breath away and set her skin tingling.

Hunt had removed his shirt to work, and the magnificent sight of his muscular form mesmerized her as sweat glistened on his taut skin. The muscles in his arms flexed with each rise of the pitchfork. She wondered what it would be like to be in his arms, her own bare flesh against his broad chest.

He must have sensed her presence. He turned around and looked straight at her. She watched an unfamiliar change take place in his deep emerald eyes. It was as if he saw right through to her heart, seeking out her deepest desires—desires she did not fully comprehend. Without any word of warning, he dropped the pitchfork, walked up to her, and pulled her into his warm embrace. The smell of leather and fresh hay invaded her nostrils, a combination that was distinctly Hunt.

The moment his lips touched hers, she was lost. Urges she had never experienced before bubbled to the surface. Greedily, she wanted to feel more, experience more. Wrapping her arms about his neck, she pulled herself toward his taut form. His skin felt warm and damp from his exertions mucking out the stall. His hand cupped her bottom, bringing her even closer to his hard, muscular body. She should be shocked, should protest, but it felt so right to be in his arms.

He deepened the kiss, stroking her tongue with his. He tasted like warm apple cider on a cold day. His mouth left hers and started doing wonderful things down the column of her neck before travelling back up toward her ear. She’d never realized a tongue could bring such pleasure as his hot breath whispered against her ear. “I want you, my English rose.”

She was unsure what to say to encourage him, so she let her instincts guide her and began to explore his smooth chest with her hands. She felt him shift, and the next thing she knew, he’d picked her up and was carrying her over to a pile of fresh straw.

He laid her down, stretched out beside her, and gazed into her eyes. She tried to look away, feeling uncertain all of a sudden, but he reached out to her with a gentle hand and stroked her cheek. “Never be shy with me.” His voice was deep and husky. She had never heard anything so sensual in all her life.

Hunt looked down into the most intoxicating eyes he had ever seen. He could lose himself forever in their brown depths. He dipped his head and kissed her soft lips, teasing her to open for him. Her breath caught with his onslaught of nibbles and kisses. When she flicked her tongue across his lips, he knew she was feeling more confident.

As he deepened the kiss, his hand dealt with the buttons on her blouse. It had been so long since he’d been alone with a woman and he was desperate to have his hands on her. He reached inside her blouse and cupped one ample breast while fingering her nipple.

As he trailed kisses down her neck, she arched her back, offering her breasts to him. He took one sweet pink nipple in his mouth and suckled.

“Oh my, that feels wonderful…” Her words trailed off on a gasp of pleasure. It was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

“Eva, I…” The words caught in his throat as distant sounds came to the forefront. He looked up and listened for what had disturbed his senses and brought him back to reality.

“What’s the matter?” she whispered out.

He stared at her and saw a mixture of uncertainty and desire. He should not have taken advantage of her here in the stables. She meant more to him than a quick tumble in the hay. He wanted to earn her trust and respect, to build a future.

He felt her body grow tense beneath his as she questioned, “What’s that noise?”

The sound of a coyote howling and chickens clucking with alarm confirmed his suspicions. “A coyote has gotten in the chicken coop.” He watched her face pale at the mention of chickens.

His English rose had yet to recover from the headless chicken incident. “Come on, I’ll take you up to the house, then deal with the mess.”